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Travel

Top 10 European Ski Destinations

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Fancy staying on a home exchange this wintry Spring and stretching your skiing budget?

Here are the top 10 European ski destinations chosen by HomeExchange Members. Stay near or in a resort, borrow ski accessories for kids and save on accommodation costs. There’s really something for everyone, from Jacuzzis to sledges and beautiful views to hundreds of mountain chalets and apartments.

Val d’Isere, France

val-disere-franceThere’s a reason why Val d’Isere, at 1,850 meters, continues to be the top choice of European skiers each winter. It offers the perfect blend of challenging ski terrain for advanced skiers and learner-friendly beginners zones for those new to the snow. The resort center is lined with high-end shops, lively après-ski bars and fantastic restaurants, all housed within beautiful, stone-clad buildings.

Chamonix Les Houches, France

chamonix-les-houches-franceThe diversity on offer in Chamonix these days makes it impossible to review the whole resort as one destination. At 950 meters, Les Houches is one of the closest resorts to Geneva Airport and offers kilometer after kilometer of tree-lined skiing, making it the perfect destination for families and beginners. The resort center has a village feel and is an outstanding spot from which to take in the incredible views.

Cosy chalet near Mont Blanc, Les Houches – 10 minutes from Chamonix

Klosters, Switzerland

klosters-switzerlandWhile the ski area between Klosters (at 1,179 meters) and Davos offers lots to explore, Klosters is without doubt the more attractive base for your ski holiday. The village center is charming and affluent, but with a relaxed vibe, while the trails are popular with advanced skiers enjoying an abundance of easily accessible off-piste in the area.

Cosy chalet just 10 minutes from the ski lifts at Klosters

Les Gets, France

les-gets-franceA resort that’s been quietly minding its own business for years, Les Gets, at 1,200 meters, is now developing into a chic, family-orientated resort that offers quick and easy access to the 650-kilometer Portes du Soleil ski area. Several piste-side restaurants offer views of Mont Blanc so it’s easy to find a sunny spot on which to enjoy an après tipple or two.

Luxury mountain ski chalet – Exceptional view

Crans-Montana, Switzerland

crans-montana-swizterlandThere’s one thing that makes these two interconnected resorts stand out, and it may not be for everyone. Crans, at 1,500 meters, and its neighbour Montana are not villages; although right on the edge of a great ski area, they’re most definitely towns with a very urban feel. This is a very sunny spot in which to base yourself and there’s varied terrain to suit all ability levels.

Farm with beautiful views 10 minutes from Crans Montana

La Rosière, France

la-rosiere-franceWe love La Rosière, at 1,850 meters, not just because of its high elevation and snow certainty. The ski area offers two great experiences for the price of one when you cross over the Petit St Bernard pass into Italy. Wide pistes descend for kilometers into La Thuile over the border and getting back is no hassle at all. The main village is quiet but well stocked, and the views are exceptional.

Madonna di Campiglio, Italy

madonna-di-campiglio-italyItalian ski resorts are always authentic, traditional and charming, and Campiglio, at 1,550 meters, is no different. The car-free resort huddles on the valley floor and the center is stylish with several chic shops. The ski area spreads over 150 kilometers, and there have been several lift upgrades over recent years, making it quick and easy for you to cover a considerable distance on skis each day.

Luxurious apartment 5 minutes from ski lifts with fantastic view over the Dolomites

Courchevel Moriond 1650, France

courchevel-moriond-1650-franceRebranded back in 2011 to recognise the differences between its more blingy neighbour higher up the valley, Courchevel 1650 is now an attractive, unpretentious resort with a stack of new facilities, including Aquamotion, a huge center for water sports that opened in December 2015. And let’s not forget: On your doorstep you’ll find the largest linked ski area in the world. The 600 kilometers of the 3 Valleys network never disappoint.

Selva, Val Gardena, Italy

selva-val-gardena-italySeasoned skiers, this one’s for you. At 1,563 meters, Selva serves up challenging ski terrain on both sides of a valley, accessed by both gondolas and quick chair lifts. The village center is packed with charm and character and there’s also a collection of well-maintained beginner slopes and progressive tree-lined runs enjoyed by families.

Geilo, Norway

geilo-norwayNo list of top 10 ski resorts is complete without mentioning Norway and the town of Geilo, at 800 meters. It is one of the country’s most popular resorts. It’s a small, well-equipped town that’s currently investing heavily in new runs, new lifts and new facilities. Between January and April you can also ski until 8pm on flood-lit slopes. Photo Credit: Geilo, Norway

For the Silo and HomeExchange, Alexandra Origet du Cluzeau.

About HomeExchange

Founded by Ed Kushins, a pioneer of the “collaborative consumption” movement, HomeExchange has facilitated over one million home swaps since 1992. It was featured in 2006 in the cult movie “The Holiday” starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law. In 2015, 65,000 HomeExchange members made 130,000 home swaps across 150 countries. The revolutionary Passport™ program now makes home swapping even easier. Members earn a ‘balloon’ by hosting another Member and redeem their ‘balloon’ for a one-way stay anywhere in the world. HomeExchange makes it easy to plan and enjoy a home exchange vacation and offers a memorable, authentic experience while giving travel real meaning. It was voted “Best Site for Booking Your Stay 2016” by readers of USA TODAY and 10Best.

Earth

Early-season snowstorm snarls travel throughout Rocky Mountains

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A yardstick / meterstick was needed to measure snow in one part of Montana, and the disruptive storm proved “irritating” for one motorist in the middle of a 20-plus-hour drive.

Autumn is in full swing across the United States with Halloween candy filling the shelves at grocery stores and pumpkin spice-flavored beverages being served up at coffee shops across the country. But one region just had a full-scale preview of winter.

The first widespread snowstorm of the season blanketed the Intermountain West over the weekend and through the first part of the week, causing disruptions from the mountains of Montana to the rim of the Grand Canyon.

AccuWeather National News Reporter Bill Wadell was in Montana for the storm where some trees were still sporting vibrant foliage amid the wintry scene.

The storm left behind more than a winter wonderland.

Over a foot of snow / 0.3 M blanked parts of the northern Rockies, including the higher elevations of Montana and Wyoming. Thundersnow was even reported amid some intense bursts of snow.

A yardstick / meterstick was also required to measure the accumulation in Pony, Montana, where snow totals approached the 30-inch / 76.2 cm mark in just 24 hours.

Traffic through mountain passes, such as Bozeman Pass in Montana, ground to a halt at times as poor road conditions clogged the roads for a time. Traffic was flowing again at Bozeman Pass by Tuesday afternoon, although the snow was still slowing down some traffic.

A 50-mile / 80.4 km stretch of Interstate-25 reopened on Wednesday after being closed for almost 24 hours due to the winter storm, Wadell reported. Some sections of Interstates 25, 80 and 90 remained closed in Wyoming as of late Wednesday morning.

In Buffalo, Montana, Wadell caught up with Spokane, Washington, resident Sonia Lasoya, who was hitting plenty of wintry hurdles in her cross country drive to Uvalde, Texas. In Buffalo, off of Interstate 90, Lasoya saw those travel plans run into closed road signs due to the heavy snow.

“It is irritating because I’ve got 20 more hours to go yet, so now hopefully they’ll open the road, but we don’t even know if they’ll open it,” she said.

With a bag full of clothes packed for the warm weather of Texas, Lasoya said she wasn’t totally prepared to have to spend a night stuck in the cold grip of an early-season storm.

“I had this coat, which is really warm. I didn’t really pack warm clothes because it’s like 85 down there in Uvalde,” she said. “I’m not really ready for winter yet, but up in Spokane they kind of start to winterize early… I guess I’m in denial.”1/11

Heavy snow caused I-25 to close in Buffalo, Wyoming October 12. Bill Wadell reports.

In other areas of the region, colorful leaves still clung to trees, wreaking power outage havoc for some. Sheridan, Wyoming, resident Phil Jackson told Wadell that seeing the mix of fall foliage and wintry precipitation was an uncommon alignment, but something he felt prepared for.

“It’s not something we normally get every year in October, but it can happen and it’s something to be prepared for,” Jackson said. “Because a lot of the leaves are still on the tree, that’s the big deal, it’s usually the heavy wet spring type snow that can cause some havoc, but it can happen.”

Jackson told Wadell that his house, along with many of his neighbors, lost power as “6 to 8 inches ” / 15.2 to 20.3 cm fell, although he said it was hard to measure because of how quickly it melted on the ground.

After such a sweltering summer, he added, the quick turn to winter was a shock, but not all that unwelcomed.

“For this year, it’s been a hot, dry summer so I don’t mind the wet snow at all, but it can play havoc with you,” he said. “It doesn’t usually happen, but I’m not surprised, just the nature of it. Branches coming down, there are branches coming down all over the place. Just the nature of it.”

Sonia Lasoya told AccuWeather National Reporter she was in the midst of a cross-country drive from Washington to Texas when the snowstorm snarled her travel plans. (AccuWeather/Bill Wadell)AccuWeather / Bill Wadell

Yellowstone National Park was one of the more mountainous areas that saw snow with the steam from Old Faithful blending into the snowy scenery surrounding the famous geyser.

Over 500 miles / 804.6 km to the southwest, snow was also accumulating at the rim of the Grand Canyon with park officials warning visitors of snow-packed and icy roads on Tuesday morning.

The same system responsible for the snow also sent chilly air across the region. No daily record lows were broken, but temperatures did dip as much as 15 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit / 9.4 to 18.8 C below normal.

The mercury in Missoula, Montana, dipped down to 17 F / -8.3C early Tuesday morning, the lowest temperature in the town since Feb. 28.

It was not quite as cold in Salt Lake City, but residents had to bundle up when stepping outside on Tuesday morning when AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures bottomed out at 20 F / -6.7 C.

The early-season snowstorm may have been disruptive, but it did have some benefits.

“Some people are not ready for this blast of winter weather, but the snow and cold is a welcome relief for fire crews that have been battling wildfires out here for weeks,” Wadell said.

The rain and snow are also a step in the right direction to help with the widespread drought across the interior West, although this storm was just a drop in the bucket for what is needed to end the long-term drought. For the Silo, AccuWeather Public Relations, State College, PA, USA.

Gaming

SipaBoards paddleboards include jet propulsion

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Standup paddleboarding already has a loyal core of followers and its popularity is growing fast. As the world’s first self-inflating standup paddleboard, SipaBoards is changing the direction of this sport for the better and making it easier and more accessible for everyone.

Its innovative design opens up paddleboarding to children, beginners, and anyone else who is curious, but still hasn’t given the sport a try. The board pumps itself up in just a few minutes, getting you on the water more quickly, and the motor helps you keep stability and direction, making it easier to paddle further and stay out on the water longer.

According to those in the know, SipaBoards have come up with the smartest innovation in paddleboarding in recent years. The “no extra parts” philosophy of SipaBoards’ founder, Sebastjan Sitar, led him to design the motor’s housing so that it seamlessly fits into a whole in the board’s center of gravity.

The second innovation, named aptly the SipaDrive, is an integrated jet propulsion system, which gives the paddler assistance up to 3 knots. Everything is “smartly” operated wirelessly by buttons built into the paddle itself, so that communication with the motor is interrupted and the motor automativelly shuts off immediately if the paddle falls into the water.

Sipa Drive

Accelerating the Slovenian Economy by 3 knots

Sebastjan Sitar, a sportsman and entrepreneur, has his mind on the significance of this business challenge ahead of the launch:

“Slovenia was hit hard by the economic crisis, and we realize that the country needs a fast way out of these difficulties. Our solution will accelerate this recovery by 3 knots.”   Sipaboards on Twitter